I picked one up today, on clearance, just to mess around with. I've owned and used a Gerber/Fiskars Back-Pax for years with good results. Therefore, I thought I would give this thing a chance. It's an interesting design to say the least.

I figure, if it can baton wood like my Back-Pax, clear brush like a Machete, and maybe do some light chopping (all without breaking).....I'll be happy.

The only thing I don't like about it, so far, is the lack of a useful sheath. It comes with a plastic wall-hanger thing, but it isn't something I would want for field carry. If I end up carrying it I'm going to have to make, or find, a good sheath for it.

I've been using a Woodsman's Pal (standard disclaimers, no connection with the company) since I was in Scouts about 100 yrs ago. One of our leaders had a military issue one from WW2.

I recently picked one up and love the heck out of it. I comes with a sheath that you can hang on a pack moreso than your belt. Sharpens with either a file or stone and has a machete edge and a brush hoot.

I used a buddy's Fiskar's a few times and the two handle about the same, altho I think the Pal is heavier.

It's not really an axe, not even a machete, just a plain ole billhook. Which has been around for well over 2000 years. I've seen a few excavated ones from the Roman period that still wouldn't look out of place today. And yes, it is a terrific tool for clearing undergrowth and cutting branches or small trees.

Well, I've gotten quite a bit more use out of my brush axe and, so far, I love it. It had no problem splitting wood, clearing brush, making fuzz sticks, and other wise doing what would be expected of it. In fact, it is now one of my favorite outdoor tools. Combined with my sawvivor saw I had no problem getting plenty of wood cut and split to keep my campfires well fed.

Here is a picture of my buddy Ray trying it out splitting some wet wood on a camping trip in one of PA's state forests. He grew up in the jungle of Venezuela and he said he preferred it to the machetes he used to use as a kid.:

Ended up getting a nice morning fire going, even with wood that was thoroughly saturated.

On a side note, the view from the hike we went on that day was beautiful:

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